My First Segmented Vase, Critique Requested

[Brian Brown]

This is my first segmented vase. It is made from purple heart and yellow heartwith 20 Rings, 255 segments. It was sanded to 800 grit and finished with Liberon fricton polish. The top above the accent ring is about 3/16 inch thick, and below the accent ring, it tapers to about 3/8 inch to give some weight to the botom for stability. The bottom has not been waxed yet because I am waiting for the wood to oxidize and change color. The rest was oxidized for 4 days before waxing. My artistic vision was wanting a segmented piece that didn't explode on the lathe while I was turning it. No real vision there. Your Comments, both positive and negative are welcome. Without critique from others I can never learn, so don't hold back if there is something that should be corrected or done differently on future pieces.

Thanks for your help. This forum is a great place to learn.

Brian

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian......I really like the form and the execution!

Excellent 1st segmented HF!

[Mike A. Smith]

Brian, I really like it! I'm afraid I'm not experienced enough to give you the kind of critique you're looking for, but I would like to ask the dimensions.

[Brian Brown]

Sorry, I forgot the dimensions. 10" High, 6" wide at the widest, 3" base and top. I made it on my Delta Midi lathe.

Brian

[Bill Wyko]

Brian I would have to say top notch. Nice form, wood selection and finish. I'm stuck on segmenting too. That's an awsome piece, especially for your first. I can't wait to see more from you. What kind of lathe are you working with? Beings that it's your first segmented piece, I'd number them starting with #1 and keep a photo album with a list of the woods used on each one.

[Jim Becker]

'Hard to believe that's number one! I think it's an excellent piece of work, Brian.

[Nancy Laird]

Brian, beautiful work!!

Nancy

[Ron Sardo]

First I want to say that I think you did a wonderful job on this, you should be proud of this one.

The placement of the feature band looks right on. Your wood choices look great. I also really like the way you handled the top.

It might be the photo, but it looks like the curve flattens out half way between the feature ring and the base. I also think that I might make the base a little smaller, but I'm nit picking here.

This is a personal opinion, the one thing I never like about many of the segmented pieces I see is what I call the "Lego Effect". Every segment has the same height, and on most pieces it's 4/4" tall. Why not glue the ring up as you would normally, then split the ring in half with a parting tool to make two rings that are thinner? Just a thought.

Again, great job.

[dennis kranz]

I like it. Hope you do a lot more and don't forget to show us.
Dennis

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow Brian - beautiful work! First thing to hit me is the color combination - great choice! Love the form and finish! Not much to critique at this point - just play around with some patterns and variations on the form. I'm impressed and looking forward to your next segmented piece!

[Randy Rhine]

A really nice piece. Both in form and execution.

randy

[Don Eddard]

The forms used in a lot of segmented work I see don't really appeal to me, but this one is very nice. Aside from the ever so slight flat spot Ron mentioned, I'd say you nailed the form on this one, and that's being real picky. Definitely an eye catcher too, with the timbers you chose. Excellent job for #1 or #100.

[Curt Fuller]

That's a beautiful piece of work! As for a critique, I really like the simple design, I sometimes think segmented work gets too busy. I also like the choices of wood. IMHO that's one of the nicer segmented pieces I've seen.

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Brian, this is a terrific first segmented piece; it's a terrific piece period. The form does suffer slightly just above the base as has been pointed out. Your joinery looks very good with maybe the exception of a few of the yellowheart to yellowheart joints (they look a little dark). Were they sanded before gluing? One thing that I try to avoid is making both the top and base diameters the same. Pieces usually have a nicer "balance" when these dimensions differ. I assume you'll be signing this. Are you "hooked" yet on segmenting?

[Montgomery Scott]

Overall this is a nicely executed piece. The joinery, one of the more difficult tasks in ST, has been done very well. As has been mentioned before the foot is slightly too big and hence the lower 1/3 of the vessel doesn't have the curvilinear form that makes it aesthetically pleasing, but it's very close. The feature ring while done very well, is a little on the plain side, but still something to be proud of.

Overall you certainly deserve an atta boy for this one.

[Bill Wyko]

Just curious, have you ever checked out the Fibonacci formulas. They are formulations that will give you shapes that are pleasing to the eye and have been around before Christ. The Greeks and the Italians used these formulas to design many things. You'll probably find it interesting. As I said before, I think you've done a fine piece, especially for your first and with all the great people here to help, you'll do even better as you go. I tried to attach an article from an Encyclopedia but it wouldn't take.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Brian that is a beauty. I really like the wood combo and form.

[Tom Sherman]

An excellent first piece Brian, keep up the good work.

[Brian Brown]

Malcolm,

To clarify, this is my third segmented peice. The first on exists in many pieces decorating the various nooks and crannies around my shop. The explosion was spectacular, but disheartening. Number two was a funnel bowl. Extremely boring, but necessary for practice. It's explosion was far less spectacular, and I was able to recover and finish the bowl. This is my first vase or project of any depth. The base on this vase was going to be smaller, but I was afraid that it wouldn't be very stable, so I tossed the first base and made one larger. This makes me wonder how small is too small or stability, and is there any rule of thumb for ratios of top to bottom, bottom to overall size, or any other dimensions for looks and practicality? As for my joints, no I didn't sand them. When I started this vase, I had a 6" sander that had an unstable table. I made a minature sanding jig like the one in your book, but the table moved too much when I sanded, and the pieces were more accurate from the saw. Now I have a 12" sander with a very stable base. Looks like I'll be making a jig next weekend. And finally, YES I am hooked on segmenting! I was when I saw my first segmented piece, but after making some, I am really hooked. Thank you for the help.

Brian

[Brian Brown]

Ron,

Thanks for your comments. I like the Idea of thinner and thicker rings. I tried that here with the bottom segmented the thickest, and getting thinner going up. I guess when I pay for these exotics, I dont want to waste anything so the difference wasn't enough. Some of the rings ended up looking exactly the same thickness. This may have come from truing the rings. You mentioned cutting a ring in two, and I have tried this both from the side, and from the end. The cuts go well most of the way through, but at about 2/3 I get some of the worst catches I have ever had, and break the rings of tear them off the lathe. I bought a Sorby 1/16 inch parting tool for just this reason, and while splitting a ring, broke a tiny bit off the tip of the parting tool. I thought I better stop trying this. Is there some trick to doing this safely and with better results?

Brian

[Brian Brown]

Bill,

Is this the shape you are refering to (see pic)? I tried to make this piece with the mathematical ratio of 1:1.618. On paper, my plan was figured around that ratio for Height width and placement of the accent ring. I only planned it mathematically, and didn't put the spiral on the plan. Working with this ratio is not as easy as it sounds for me. I am used to using it for 2D images, and have done so for 25 years. Now I am trying to apply it to 3D sculptures, and it is a little harder. It looks like the accent ring could have been a bit higher if I am looking at this right.

Brian

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Ron,

Is there some trick to doing this safely and with better results?

Brian

Brian, when splitting rings on the lathe with a parting tool, it works better to wiggle the parting tool as you cut and therefore slightly enlarge the kerf as you cut deeper and deeper. Without doing so, there can be a lot of heat build-up and the chips don't eject as well. At least that's my technique.

[Ron Sardo]

Brian

I do the same as Malcolm. My parting tool is made from a 1/32" sawzall blade and I cut a kerf that is 3/64" to 1/16" wide. Remember, as the heat builds up , the wood will expand, resulting in a catch.

The only other possible problem is weak glue joints. As Malcolm also mentioned, it a good idea to sand the glue edges before assembling.

[Ken LaSota]

Brian great job really nothing to critique from what I see.
Ken

[Brian Weick]

Very nice job ~ that is a fantastic first piece~! very,very, nice job~ well done! I can appreciate the time and effort that you put into this piece, it shows. I especially like that border you did, nice job!
Happy turning
Brian

[Bill Wyko]

Brian, i think you did yourself proud. I bet you can't wait to try other stuff. For being your first vessel, you did far better that I did. (Mine is in the archives here) You'll find that they only get more fun as you go. I look forward to more work from you. Have you started your next one.

[Robert McGowen]

I really like the color combination on this one. It looks like it will be quite the conversation piece in someone's house!

[Brian Brown]

Thank you to everyone for the critique on my vase. Even if the comments seem trivial, or you are hesitant to share them, they all help alot for future pieces. I planned the base to be smaller, and changed my mind part way through the construction phase. When it was done, I wondered if I made the right decision, and it was great getting a second an third opinion that confirmed that I should have left it alone. Even comments about the bottom and top not being the same diameter are things I never would have thought of. All of the coments are helpful for new pieces, and I always learn alot from this group.

Thanks Again

Brian

[mike fuson]

Brian, this is a great looking piece, much better than my first segmented piece. To maybe help you a bit on the base, I cut my segments a little wider at the base (deeper) so there is more glue surface. The only critique I have is looks like there is a small bump on the side about the 3rd and 4th ring up. This is just a nit pick, I would be proud of this piece.